Colbie Caillat Talks Lily B. Skincare, "Christmas in the Sand", The Humane Society, and More

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Colbie Caillat might just be one of the hardest working women in showbiz.

Right now, the Grammy Award-winning songstress is traversing the country on a jaunt with Gavin DeGraw, she's finishing up her first holiday album Christmas in the Sand, and promoting Lily. B Skincare with whom she recently partnered. If that's not enough, the girl also remains a staunch supporter of The Humane Society and animal rights. We could use a whole lot more pop rockers [and people] like Caillat. Not only does she make the world a bit brighter with her music, the singer-songwriter is doing everything she can to help it even when she isn't holding a guitar.

In this exclusive interview with ARTISTdirect.com editor in chief Rick Florino, Colbie Caillat talks Lily. B, Christmas in the Sand, and so much more.

What separates Lily.B from other skincare lines?

Well, it's made with all-natural ingredients, and I love that it's not tested on animals. The bottle is eco-friendly too. Since I'm all about everything being organic, natural, and good for putting in or on your body, I thought it was a really great line to partner up with.

Have you been thinking about partnering up with a brand like this for a while?

There have been lots of offers for me to be a spokesperson for different brands. A friend of mine gave me Lily.B to use, and I loved that it was natural. So I had a meeting with them, and I wanted to see if I could help them get the word out.

How do you maintain a skincare regiment on the road? That can't be easy.

It's not easy, especially living and sleeping on a tour bus every night. The bathroom and sink are really small so washing all of my makeup off and re-applying the skincare line can be difficult. However, it's really important. From the first couple years of touring when I was young and didn't know, I treated my skin awfully. I'd sleep with my makeup on. The next day, I'd scrub it off. That can give you wrinkles under your eyes. I've learned so much since then. Now I'm 27-years-old, I know the precautions, and I use the daily moisturizer, the night cream, and the foaming face wash to get the makeup off. I do the things all women need to start doing.

What's your favorite piece from the Lily.B line?

My favorite is the daily moisturizer. I'm obsessed with moisturizing my skin. I'm always in the sun, and I think it's really good to keep it hydrated. My three favorites are really the foaming face wash because I love how it feels on my skin when I wash it at night, the eye cream because it's really important, and the daily moisturizer. Those are my go-to.

Have you come to them with suggestions for the line? Are you helping them develop new products?

I'm sure that we will. I'm partnered up with them. They want my ideas and suggestions. I give them notes about things. We will definitely get into more stuff. This is just the beginning.

What's it like making a Christmas album in July?

[Laughs] It's funny. I've been making it all spring and summer. I guess it doesn't matter. In California, it's always hot and sunny. It's actually a perfect for it because this record is called Christmas in the Sand. I was listening to all of the Christmas songs I was going to cover. They all talk about snow, being cold, and Santa by the fire. I enjoy that during Christmas. I covered the standards, but I also wrote a few more songs for the album that are about your tropical Christmas for the people who live in California and Hawaii. It's sunny, and they're at the beach with their friends sipping coco with a candy cane and Santa falls off his surfboard. It's a little tongue-in-cheek. It's a mix of wintry songs and Christmas at the beach.

Do you have a favorite from the album?

As far as a favorite standard goes, I did "Auld Lang Syne" for the New Year's song. I love that. I think it's beautiful. Then, I did "Santa Baby", "Baby, It's Cold Outside", "Merry Christmas Baby", and "Silver Bells". There are 14 songs on the record. Then I wrote "Everyday It's Christmas", "Happy Christmas", and "Christmas in the Sand". I'm really excited for people to hear those.

Has Christmas always been special for you?

Yeah, we would always go to Lake Tahoe in Nevada with my grandparents. They have this house right across the street from the lake. It'd be snowing. We'd light a fire, make Christmas dinner, and eat pie and hot chocolate. There were presents overflowing out from under the tree. It was your complete, perfect Christmas. It was good to be locked in a house with my family in a house for a week.

How do you approach each album?

I go with what I'm feeling at the time. I write from what I'm experiencing in my life. I add in the styles of music that influence and affect me. I want my next record to be more stripped-down and raw. I might put out an acoustic EP.

"Make It Rain" really stands out on All Of You. What's the story behind that song?

It was the first song I wrote for All Of You. I was on tour in Germany. My boyfriend was in my band at that time. We were on tour together, and we were falling in love. Every time we tried to go sightseeing or we went on a jog, it would start raining. I thought it was this magic we were creating being in love and all that cheesy stuff [Laughs]. I went to my hotel one day and wrote the song for him.

If you were to compare All Of You to a movie or a combination of movies, what would you compare it to?

Oh wow! That's a good question…I'd have to think about it more. What would you say from your listener's perspective?

Perhaps, You've Got Mail because it's endearing and fun?

[Laughs] I like that.

How's the tour with Gavin DeGraw?

It's going so well. That dude is so talented and really cool. He's one of the most hilarious people I've ever met. Getting to be with him every day and hearing him sing is amazing. Our bands all get along so well. It's really fun. We feel like we're on summer camp.

How did you get involved in the Humane Society?

My parents taught me about adopting animals when I was a kid. I adopted my Golden Retriever from the Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue Foundation. They had gotten her from Taiwan because they have a lot of dogs over there. People buy them as puppies and, once they're big, they don't want them anymore. I love animals. I'm vegetarian. I don't buy clothes with leather. A friend brought it to my attention I should work with the Humane Society. When she said it to me, I felt like my world had opened up to something I'd always dreamed of doing, but I didn't know it yet. Teaching people about the importance of adopting animals and not supporting puppy mills by getting dogs from pet stores is so crucial to me. Factory farming is something I'd like to change as well

Golden retrievers are such incredible dogs.

They're sweet. They're harmless. I've never known a golden retriever to be vicious. They just want to love the whole time.

Do you bring your dog on tour?

Well, not her because she's so big. I did adopt a small dog too. I fell in love with him, and I wanted to bring him with me everywhere. He can fly on the plane, and he fits on a tour bus. He's a little mutt. He's a mix of a bunch of different things. He has a cute furry face.